


When We Were Young

by xSophie2x



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Family Trouble, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up Together, M/M, Misunderstandings, Relationship Trouble, Self-Discovery, find out who you are
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2020-11-23 11:01:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20891030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xSophie2x/pseuds/xSophie2x
Summary: This is Theo and Liam being best friends and growing up together, taking on life's problems together, and needing a little help from their friends because they're oblivious to the fact that they're actually in love with each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, first chapter of this... (Title and story were a bit inspired by the song by Adele)  
I hope you like it! :)

_# Liam discovered his favorite toys when he was four years old. It was on his very first day of school that he found them, after his mother had dropped him off and he terribly wished she would come back for him, and thought that they were better friends to him than most of his classmates._

_He often found himself playing with the little toy cars alone, in a back corner of the classroom with the cars that he enjoyed so much, away from his classmates that he had trouble fitting in with anyway._

_His teacher couldn’t deny that she was often worried about him, seeing him alone more often than not, and tried to encourage him to play with his other classmates. It usually always ended the same way though, with not only Liam getting upset but the classmate he played with as well, and so, under the impression that he still just had to get used to everything yet, she always ended up giving up trying._

_But not even she, though, could have thought that a lively little boy with the name Theo Raeken would be the one to turn that around._

_Theo was a few months older than Liam, and had been in the same class as him from the beginning of the school year. Theo had always been curious, creative and actively interested in most things around him, and unlike Liam had no trouble getting along with the rest of the kids in class. Each day, he was spotted with a new small group of friends, whether inside or outside, and he always talked loudly and happily._

_The day he decided to talk to Liam, was still one that Liam described as the luckiest day of his life, even if his four-year-old self probably wouldn’t agree with him._

_It started out as any other day, and it wasn’t long before Liam had retreated to the back of the room again, keeping as many toy cars as he could to himself. It wasn’t long in the afternoon, after Liam had gathered more cars and a small piece of the race track that belonged with it, that the other boy waddled towards him, sat down next to him and only spared him a glance before taking one of the toy cars._

_Liam didn’t know what to think of it, except for the wave of annoyance that he couldn’t quite explain washing over him, and the greediness for wanting his toy back. He glared over at the other boy, making a grab for it, and gritted his teeth when the boy simply moved the toy away and grinned widely at him._

_‘Why are you sitting alone?’ he asked._

_Liam frowned, ignoring the question of the boy suddenly sitting beside him, and made a grab for the toy car in his hand again only for the boy to move it away again._

_‘It’s mine now,’ he said. ‘You have all cars there.’_

_To Liam, the comment didn’t make sense. He didn’t care that all the toy cars were right beside him for him to play with, didn’t want to play with them, he only was interested in the one that the other boy had stolen from him._

_‘But we can share this,’ the boy said happily, gesturing to the race track, though Liam didn’t meet his eyes, only grabbing the now abandoned car that the boy didn’t have anymore and turning away from him a little bit to play with the race track by himself._

_The other boy frowned, looking around. ‘That’s my car. I want it back!’_

_But Liam ignored him, smiling to himself as he rolled the cars around on the race track, though he was startled by other boy moving to sit across from him and pulling the car out of his hand. ‘N-No!’ he managed, the word spilling past his lips upset as he tried to hold onto it tightly. He could feel the upset anger growing in his chest that made tears build in his eyes, as he tried to take back the coolest black toy car with flames painted on the side. The other boy held onto it tightly, and soon, they were wrapped up in a game of tug-of-war with the car as the rope as they pulled the car back and forth, that neither of them seemed to be winning. Liam felt hot tears from anger rolling down his cheeks, swearing to himself that he had never liked anyone less than he liked this boy, and it was when they fell over on the floor in their attempts to grab the car, that the teacher hurried to break up their fight._

_'Liam, Theo!’ she called, taking away the car and making them sit further away from each other to make them stop. For the rest of the day, she kept an eye on them to avoid another fight and not let them near each other again. After school, the teacher called up both of their parents to come over for the fight they’d had that day, and as she spoke to their mothers about what had taken place that day, Liam and Theo sat next to them in silence, their arms crossed and a pout on their face. Liam glanced over at Theo, catching the other boy just as he looked away. He frowned, staring at the boy until he looked back, and met his eyes. Theo’s frown deepened, and for the first time, Liam felt a tiny stab of guilt in his heart that he couldn’t quite explain. A grin appeared on his face, and he stuck his tongue out at the other boy, who mirrored the expression after a moment’s confusion. He grinned, their mothers not noticing their sons joking with each other. Liam felt a little happier, and the next day, much to the teacher’s surprise, they played together the whole day. They’d been best friends ever since._

*****

‘Relax Liam, it’s only a school day like any other.’

Liam frowned, a look like a thundercloud on his face as they walked inside the building, and shot a glare at his best friend as Theo snorted at him. ‘It’s not though, he said. ‘How are you so okay with leaving everything we knew so well for the past years behind at our old school? How are you not nervous?’

Theo chuckled, turning to the other boy with a smile on his face. ‘I guess I am a little,’ he said. ‘But I think it’ll be alright. Sure, first days can be a little difficult. But it’ll be alright.’

A soft sigh escaped Liam’s lips at the answer, he wished he could be satisfied with that answer as they walked further into the hallway and tried to make their way through the groups and chaos that he knew were normal for first days in school. With difficulty, a little wave of annoyance washing over him, he made his way through the group of people and looked over his shoulder, to where he knew Theo was following him. ‘How do you know that though?’ he asked. ‘How do you that our class will be nice, and our classmates, and that we’ll be able to fit in and maybe make some friends?’

The question left a bitter taste on his tongue and Theo grinned, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes and he seemed to be thinking the same thing Liam was. ‘Do you want that?’ he asked, as Liam remained silent and the question that he asked himself as well, spun around in his head. Fitting in with people hadn’t always been his strong suit, and he hadn’t always wanted to because of that. But now… Of all the thinking he’d done on the subject of his new class, he still hadn’t really reached a conclusion.

‘Let’s not worry about that now though!’ Theo interrupted his thoughts, pausing next to the stairs where they had a little more room. ‘Let’s just focus on getting through the day first, okay? Though I think maybe in a class with so many people, it won’t be such a big problem. They can’t all be bad.’

Liam nodded, though still not completely reassured, and put his bag down on the floor in front of him to zip it open, digging through it in search of his schedule. It was no secret to anyone that knew him that he hated days like these, where he had to go to a new place and knew no one, when in reality, he wished he could be more prepared for them. Instead, first days were just chaotic, where you had to figure out where to go all by yourself with nothing more than just a plain schedule and it couldn’t be more unclear, and Liam couldn’t deny that it annoyed him. 

He guessed he was lucky, when it came to that, that Theo was with him and went to the same school as him, as they could navigate through the day together and both had something to hold onto this way. 

‘I’ve got it here too,’ Theo said next to him, interrupting his thoughts and waving the piece of paper that was his schedule around. ‘It says we’re supposed to go to 1.014, for our introduction.’ 

‘Right,’ Liam sighed, picking up his bag again and swinging it over his shoulder, his own schedule still in his hand. ‘And how are we supposed to know where that is?’ he asked, taking a look at the top of the stairs as if that would tell them where to go. 

‘Okay, drama queen,’ Theo grinned, holding up the schedule. ‘Relax. We actually got things like our schedule and our list with classmates and a way to log in in the mail. I think that little one at the beginning, means we’re supposed to be on the first floor.’ 

Liam nodded softly, following Theo up the stairs with a forced smile on his face and ignored the heavy feeling in his stomach, as he couldn’t deny that he actually was a little nervous to be getting closer to meeting his new classmates and teacher with every step. He grinned, giving Theo as push against his shoulder. ‘You’re a genius,’ he muttered. ‘Honestly.’ 

Theo snorted. ‘Yeah. And you’re a jerk,’ he laughed as they started up the stairs to the first floor. 

They found classroom 1.104 on the left side of the corridor they walked into, after pushing open the heavy doors to the staircases. Theo looked up from his schedule, checking the little signs next to the doors of the classrooms until they had found the right one that they had to be in. 

The door was already open, welcoming all the students that arrived, and Liam let out a soft breath before following after Theo, and they walked inside the classroom. 

To his surprise, the classroom was still half empty, with only a few other students already sitting at their tables and the teacher waiting behind her desk. When they walked in she smiled, greeting them, and as Theo gave her a soft greeting in response, Liam shot a glance in the other students’ direction before looking away again. 

They made their way over to the row of tables on the far side of the room by the windows, and sat down next to each other in the middle. At the beginning of the row, in the front of the room, stood the teacher’s desk, and Liam looked up at the teacher sitting behind it. She smiled. 

‘You’re nice on time,’ she said. ‘We’ll start in a minute, we’ll just wait for the rest of the class first.’ 

Liam stayed silent, giving her a nod, before turning to Theo. ‘Do you have everything already?’ he asked, as the rest of the class slowly wandered into the room one by one, and the teacher crossed off the names of the students on the list she had in front of her. 

‘Yeah, mom and I went shopping like a week ago!’ Theo grinned, leaning down and digging through his backpack before pulling out a brand new agenda with army print. 

Liam grinned, impressed with how cool it looked. ‘I wish I had one like that!’ he said, paying no attention to the boys settling down behind them. 

Theo chuckled. ‘Cool right? They had plenty of them at the store. Which one did you…?’ 

He was cut off by the teacher before he had a chance to finish his sentence, as she stood up from her desk and walked to the door to close and start all together. ‘Welcome everyone!’ she started and Liam smiled, leaning over to his best friend. ‘I’ll show you later,’ he whispered. 

Theo nodded, grinning, before they directed their attention back at the teacher, who introduced herself to their class as Mrs. Moore. ‘I hope you all had a good vacation,’ she continued, smiling and satisfied with the handful of answers she got. ‘Today we will take a bit of a look at your schedules, what you can expect of each subject, before picking up the keys to your lockers and get to know each other a little bit!’ 

Liam tapped his fingers on his jeans at the last part of her sentence, and shot a glance around the room. Most of his new classmates were looking towards Mrs. Moore, though a few were doing the same as him, and Liam avoided their gazes as he tried to decipher which of his new classmates might be nice. 

He turned his attention back to the front of the room when Mrs. Moore started her explanation on the basic subjects on their schedule, math, history, English, and others that he found there, and followed her explanation closely. 

When Mrs. Moore moved on to the subject of getting to know each other, Liam straightened his back and moved to sit a little more right in his chair, and wondered what she had in mind. The thought of having to tell something about yourself to the rest of the group made him shiver, and he couldn’t stop a small feeling of relief from washing over him when Mrs. Moore said that she had thought about it, but decided against it in the end. He always hated that. 

‘I’m going to form you into small groups from five or six people, and per group you are going to play the game two truths and a lie. Now before you protest, it’s a great way to get to know each other a little bit!’ Mrs. Moore explained. ‘You can each tell each other two true things about yourself and one thing that isn’t true, and the rest has to guess which one that is.’ 

The class nodded, some students muttering that they knew what it was, and Mrs. Moore smiled. 

‘Good,’ she said, walking further into the classroom next to Liam’s row, and divided him and Theo in a group with the students seated behind them. 

Liam turned around, facing the three boys and one girl behind him, and they looked back at him as Mrs. Moore continued to the rest of the class. It was only once everyone had a group that Mrs. Moore walked back to the front of the classroom, and gave them the sign that they could start. 

Liam sighed, turning his chair a little bit so they could talk easier as Theo did the same, and looked up to the dark-skinned boy and brown-haired girl with braids behind him. ‘Well then, let’s start,’ he said. ‘Who wants to go first?’ 

It remained silent in the group for a moment as Liam let his gaze wander past them, wondering who would go first and hoping it didn’t have to be him, when the dark-skinned boy behind them meekly spoke up. ‘I will.’ 

He paused for a moment, before looking up with a small smile playing at his lips. ‘Uh, hi, I’m Mason. And… I, have a twin brother. I am deathly afraid of moths, and I wanted to be a pilot when I was younger.’ 

It remained silent for a moment, Liam frowned in thought as he thought about how to figure out which one of those might be the lie for someone he’d only met a second ago, and the rest of the group dove in too. Mason grinned, looking up as it took him too long before anyone started guessing. 

‘Come on,’ he started, his voice a little less shy than a moment ago. ‘Go!’ 

A smile formed on Theo’s face at the comment and he nodded, grinning. ‘Okay,’ he said as he started guessing and Liam’s eyes wandered from him to Mason and back again suspiciously, before he forced himself to dive into the game as the rest of the group joined in as well, and as the game went along, he had to admit at least to himself that in the end, he had more fun playing than he thought he would have at the start. 

***** 

‘I’m so glad we’re allowed a little break,’ Liam sighed to Theo. ‘I thought it would never come.’

Theo smiled, as they sunk down in the seats at their table in the school cafeteria, with Mason, Sydney and two boys he remembered were called Ben and Jamie, the same group that they spent the introduction with the day before.

‘Well, we can enjoy it while it lasts,’ Theo said, putting his lunchbox on the table in front of him. ‘Can’t be late for P.E. class after this.’

Liam nodded, opening his own lunchbox as he let out a sigh. Normally, he knew that he liked sports, was quite good at them too, even if people sometimes described him as competitive, but he couldn’t deny that for this class he was a little nervous.

He didn’t really know what to expect of this class, didn’t know what they were gonna do and didn’t know the teacher, and he still had to learn how to find his way around the school. Still, another part of him was quite eager to be allowed to run around a little bit.

‘Hey guys,’ a meek voice spoke up then, interrupting them, as an unsure-looking boy with blond hair stood beside their table. ‘Is it okay if I sit with you? I can’t find anyone else from our class.’

Liam looked up, looking around the table as he was sure someone else could answer that question. Though he knew he wouldn’t mind so much, he knew he would still talk mostly to Theo as he was the only one he really knew.

‘Sure,’ Mason said, smiling up at the boy and taking his bag off of the chair next to him so he could sit. ‘Having lunch alone isn’t any fun either, is it.’

‘Thanks,’ the boy laughed quietly, taking the seat and putting his lunch down on the table. ‘Not really no.’

Mason grinned. ‘So what did you think of the introduction yesterday? Did you have fun?’

‘I don’t really know,’ the boy chuckled, with a shrug. ‘I’m not really a fan of those introduction games.’

Liam looked up at that, as he could surely relate to that, and Mason nodded knowingly. ‘I feel that,’ he said, smiling before a frown appeared on his face. ‘What did you say your name was again?’

‘Uh, I didn’t yet,’ the boy chuckled. ‘But it’s Corey. Hi.’

‘Hi,’ Mason grinned, laughing at Corey’s awkward attempt at a joke as he greeted them, and the rest of the small group greeted him back softly.

Liam looked up, taking another bite of his sandwich as Mason launched into a story to the rest of the group of why he was almost late that morning because his bike had a flat tire, and listened to it only half as he gave Theo a smirk. He didn’t really know what to make of Mason, other than the fact that after he started feeling more comfortable in the class, he talked a lot, but he guessed he seemed nice.

After that, lunch was over pretty soon, after they divided into smaller groups and talked one on one, and Sydney asked Liam and Theo a few questions, before they stood up as time to go to their P.E. class.

Behind him, Liam could hear Mason complain to the rest, since even before high school sports had never really been his strong suit, but he couldn’t stop himself from being excited for it. After sitting still in class after class, wandering from one classroom to the next, he could do with a little bit of running around and playing games. Hurriedly, he made his way down to the changing room where he put on his gym clothes, and rushed to the right gym with Theo following close behind him, laughing at him that he had to slow down.

With a smile, Liam stepped into the gym and looked at his classmates that were already there, busy setting things up, and their P.E. teacher Mr. Johnson, who was helping them and checking the attendance list in his hands.

In the middle of the room, there stood a few benches to divide the room in two, and on either side was a small soccer field with a little goal against the walls. Liam grinned as he saw they were going to play soccer, he had always been quite good at that before high school, and liked it too.

With a smile, he turned to Theo. ‘I’m so gonna beat you with this.’

‘Ah, not if we’re on the same team you’re not,’ Theo shot back, a smile forming on his face and reaching his eyes.

‘I hope we are,’ Liam sighed, crossing his arms and taking a look around the room. Not only would that make these little matches more fun, but there was no denying that he and Theo made a good team either. When they played together, they won more easily, and Liam liked to win.

‘Liam, Theo! Come help us too!’ Mr. Johnson called over to them then and Theo nodded, looking over at Liam before running back to the front of the room.

Liam followed after him slowly, his hands in the pockets of his sports pants and nodded at Mr. Johnson as he walked by him, and more of his classmates ran into the room excitedly.

‘Liam!’ a voice called him over then, interrupting his thoughts, and as he looked up he saw the girl with the full, dark hair whose name he had learned was Hayden, standing by the sports attributes. ‘You can help me if you want, I could really use some.’

‘Uh, sure,’ Liam managed after pausing for a moment, making his way over to her. ‘What do we need to do?’

Hayden let out a soft sigh, looking back at the cabinet with the supplies as if she had no desire to move everything and start dragging everything through the room. ‘We need to move this goal to that side of the room, and then sort out those little ribbons so it’s clear for everyone which team they’re on. You know, yellow with yellow, and green with green.’

Liam nodded, interrupting her. ‘Got it. Come on.’ He lifted up the goal, Hayden grabbing the other side of it, and together, they took it to the far side of the room and placed it against the wall across from the other goal so they had a little soccer field.

Hayden looked up. ‘Thanks.’

Liam shrugged, starting to walk back as she caught up with him. ‘No problem.’ He focused his attention on the ribbons that Hayden had mentioned then, sorting out the right colors with her like she said, before Mr. Johnson got their attention again and told them to sit down for a minute to start the class. Liam looked for Theo, sitting down next to him and smiled.

‘Alright, we’ve got twenty people here if I’m not mistaken,’ Mr. Johnson said. ‘That means we can make four teams of five, and rotate around these four fields. So you can play against all three other teams. And I think, since it’s your first day, it’s best I make the teams for now.’

Liam swallowed, glancing at Theo, and hoping he’d still make it on one team with him like that. He knew he got lucky when Mr. Johnson split the class up in four groups of five with the people sitting next to him. Liam looked around, he recognized Mason and Corey, and some other guy with brown hair that he didn’t know and hadn’t really seen before now.

He stood up, Theo grinning at him as they walked to the field at the end of the room with the other team following behind them. ‘Looks like we can beat people together,’ he joked.

Liam nodded, turning around and looking at the other team standing by the goal across from him. Hayden smiled. ‘We’ll see,’ she said before turning to her team with Ben and Jamie, a girl with brown curly hair and a boy with dark-blond hair and freckles. He gave a short nod, turning around, and Corey took a step back to stand in goal as a ball finally rolled their way. Mr. Johnson wasn’t very strict today, Liam guessed that their first P.E. class was just for fun. He didn’t mind that, aside from the fact that keeping their own scores wasn’t gonna go entirely fair.

Hayden took the ball, and their little match started then, fanatic from the get-go. They were good, but Liam was surprised by how fast Hayden was. She could steal the ball with ease, running around them, though they were lucky that Corey was so good in goal. Liam screamed at Theo to take the ball, as the other team yelled at each other too, and Liam couldn’t deny that he was having so much fun with his classmates that the match was over way too soon. Though, at the end, he couldn’t deny that he was a little surprised to have won from the other team, even if that made the whole thing even better.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't too sure about the talk Liam had with his mom in this, if it really captured the emotional part well, because I find that hard to do. So please tell me what you think!  
I hope you enjoy this! :)

# Truthfully, it took Liam a little longer than he would’ve liked to admit to get comfortable in his new class and try and fit in. While everyone else in his class found each other, chatting together happily, he had a little trouble trying to do the same and finding someone he really clicked with.

It was inevitable though, that in the end he felt himself leaning more towards the group he had gotten to know during his first week, who were an undeniably fun group to be around. Mason, Corey, Nolan, Alec and Hayden each brought something of their own to conversation and it wasn’t long before they started sitting together in class and hung out during lunch breaks together, and Liam could feel himself starting to relax around them.

Theo agreed with him, Mason’s jokes never failing to make either of them laugh, and it was on one rainy day during the summer that he revealed a chaotic story of his first day that none of them had heard of before.

‘My bike had a flat tire!’ he exclaimed, straightening his back in his chair. ‘So there I was, panicking about what to do, because imagine being late on your first day! That couldn’t happen.’

‘Oh no, absolutely not,’ Hayden agreed, her smile widening on her face despite her serious tone. ‘Imagine having a perfectly valid excuse.’

A wave of laughter sounded through their group at her comment, and as Mason remained silent and glared at the girl, Liam chuckled along softly with the rest, hiding his grin behind his hand.

‘Anyway…’ he continued loudly then, his voice coming out over the sound of the dying laughter. ‘I asked my mom if she could drive me then, I was lucky that she was still at home so I could still make it on time!’

Liam frowned, something about that comment not sitting right with him, when he thought back on his first school day and how his mom had driven both him and Theo to school together. ‘Wouldn’t she do that anyway?’ he asked slowly, earning himself a surprised look from Mason when he spoke up.

‘Uhm, she’s very busy,’ Mason responded with a frown. ‘She’s got some leader position at her office or something.’

Liam stayed silent, nodding, and Hayden sighed, looking around the table. ‘Cool story, Mase, truly,’ she grinned, standing up. ‘I’m still gonna buy a sandwich, anyone want to come?’

‘I do,’ Theo smiled, standing up and walking away with her, leaving Liam alone with the rest of the group. He stayed silent, listening to Nolan and Alec muttering about whatever and watching Corey drawing in his notebook absent-mindedly, until the two came back to their table again.

‘I think we have art class again in a minute,’ Hayden said, sitting down again and pulling her backpack up onto her lap, searching through it frantically before she pulled out her schedule. ‘This school is still like a maze to me…’

‘I got it,’ Corey interrupted her reassuringly, saving her the trouble of having to look for it, and spread out his own schedule on the table for them. Mason leaned over his shoulder, watching as Corey pointed at the right class on the sheet of paper. ‘0.004. That’s where we are.’

‘Ah,’ Hayden nodded. ‘Thanks. Now we still need to find it.’

‘Well, at least we know it’s on this floor…’ Theo started, but was interrupted by the loud bell that rang that signaled the end of the lunch break. Liam flinched, looking up startled by the loud noise that he was still getting used to and the other, older people in the cafeteria who all seemed to be getting up and walking towards the exit at once.

The sound of their loud, confident voices and laughter, the way they knew exactly where to go and seemed to rule the hallways of the school was still a bit overwhelming to Liam, still something he had to get used to. He stayed right next to Theo as their small group shuffled towards the exit after everyone, not wanting to get caught up in the mess of people that would tease them for being young and new, and not wanting to lose each other either. Finally, they managed to press through the doors of the cafeteria after everyone else had gone first, and the chaos of classes starting slowly cleared away as older students walked up the stairs and they stood in the mostly empty hallway.

Alec huffed, pulling at the hem of his shirt in frustration. ‘Every time! I hate that!’

‘We survived,’ Corey commented, walking past Alec and nodding towards the left side of the hallway. ‘We have to go that way, we’re already a little late.’

Alec nodded, following after Corey and the rest of the group followed their lead. Liam stayed back a little, looking over at Theo.

‘This school is bigger than our previous one,’ Theo commented with a smile, as they followed the rest to the classroom with a little distance between them. ‘You okay?’

‘Fine,’ Liam sighed, forcing a smile and pushing away the stressed feeling from the end of lunch break. ‘I’m just glad we can do art now.’

‘Yeah,’ Theo replied. ‘Come on,’ he said, walking into the classroom together and sitting down as close to the rest of the group as they could, before their class started.

*****

Aside from the chaos that began after lunch break ended and how big the school was, there was one other thing that Liam disliked extremely about high school. The bigger amount of freedom that came with high school was one of the perks for him, as he enjoyed being more responsible for his own school work and turned out to be quite good at it. But it was mainly the amount of work that they had to do, that was an unwelcome change for him.

The bigger amount of work they had to do was certainly a big difference with their previous school, and at times he didn’t know if he was gonna be able to complete it all. That’s why he was so glad to be able to talk to Theo about it as they walked back home from school on a rainy day a few days later, purposely taking a detour through the park to walk through the puddles.

‘Geography, math, and then we also have those study those words for French,’ he muttered, jumping in another puddle and trying and failing to hide his grin when Theo jumped in after him, the water from the puddle splashing to the sides.

‘You’ll be fine,’ Theo commented distractedly, pulling his hood up further to shield him from the rain. ‘You’re smarter than you think.’

Liam smiled, a happy feeling washing over him, and he looked up. ‘Didn’t Winnie the Pooh say that?’

Theo snorted. ‘Fuck off!’ he laughed, kicking some water towards Liam and grinning when he jumped out of the way clumsily. ‘Asshole!’

Theo grinned happily, looking proud of himself and put his hands in his pockets as they left the puddles behind and followed the path further towards their houses. ‘So, aside from how big the school is, are you feeling a bit more at home already?’ he asked.

Liam sighed, the carefree feeling from a moment ago left behind, replaced by a more serious one. He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I guess. I hate being the youngest again. But our class is nice I guess.’

Theo nodded, smiling softly as he stared down at the muddy path. Liam watched as a pebble that got under his best friend’s foot was kicked to the side. While forcing himself to smile, he looked up and over at Theo. ‘Are you still coming over tonight?’

Theo paused, taking a moment to answer and Liam still heard the soft sigh escaping his lips despite the rain spilling on the sidewalk. ‘I guess so,’ he shrugged. ‘It’s not like I’ve got any better option.’

Liam couldn’t deny that it stung a little, Theo making it sound like he only took up on this offer because it was the only one there, but he knew his best friend didn’t mean it like that. ‘And Tara?’ he asked quietly, looking up.

‘I’m not gonna leave her alone,’ Theo replied immediately, in a slightly defensive tone and his eyes meeting Liam’s. Liam nodded. ‘Of course not. My mom wouldn’t want that.’

Theo nodded, forcing a smile, before they turned the corner and they walked into the street where Theo lived, stopping in front of his house. Liam looked up at the high fence that separated their big front yard and driveway from the street.

‘Well,’ Theo said, grabbing his key from his coat pocket. ‘I’ll see you later.’

Liam remained silent, saving his goodbye for when Theo was inside and watching as he unlocked the fence. He waved then, sending his best friend a smile. He stood still, watching and waiting on the sidewalk until Theo was inside, before he turned around and pulled on the hood of his coat, ready to be home. Walking in the rain alone was a lot less fun than doing it with somebody, he concluded.

*****

‘Mom! I’m home!’ he called, closing the kitchen door behind him.

He stayed silent for a moment, listening for her, but it didn’t take long before her familiar footsteps came down the stairs to the kitchen, and a smile formed on Liam’s face.

‘Liam,’ Jenna smiled, crossing the kitchen to give him a proper hug before she lead him to the living room. ‘How was it? Shall I make you a cup of tea?’

Liam smiled, drinking tea together after school was something they always did, and he shrugged off his coat. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘That’d be nice. I’m just gonna put away my bag.’

His mom nodded, returning to the kitchen, and Liam closed the door to the hallway by the front door. It was the one rule that his mom had set for him when he first went to high school, that he should always leave his school bag in the corridor so that no one would trip over it and it wouldn’t leave an unnecessary mess. Liam had come to find other things more important, such as his pile of homework that had grown over the last week, but he could agree with his mom on this.

‘Theo and Tara are coming again tonight!’ he called, hanging up his coat at the coat rack.

‘Yeah!?’ his mom called back. ‘Is it that time again!?’ she continued, an irritation sounding through her voice that Liam knew wasn’t directed at him or his friend and his sister. He sighed, pulling out the two books he would need for his homework and was ready to go back to the living room where his mom had tea and cookies, when he brushed past the dresser in the hallway and his eye caught the name that was written on a letter lying on top of it.

_Michael Dunbar._

‘What…?’ Slowly, Liam lowered his hand with his books in it, and pulled the envelope with the letter closer to him. It was addressed to him, his address, with his name on it. The problem was that Liam had the feeling that he wasn’t supposed to see this letter.

His hands shook lightly as he picked the letter up, unsure of what to do for a moment. He had just gotten home, his mom just hadn’t had a chance to show it to him yet. He was sure she wasn’t planning on keeping it from him.

_But what if she was?_

If his dad, that he hadn’t seen in twelve years, was sending him letters surely she thought he had a right to know?

Biting his lip, he looked towards the living room door, unsure if he should ask her about this, when the thought that there may be more letters crossed his mind.

Making up his mind, a resolute sigh escaping his lips as that thought had a wave of anger washing over him, he crossed the corridor and pushed the door open, walking into the living room. ‘Mom!?’

‘Yeah?’ his mom smiled from where she was sitting on the couch with a tray of tea and cookies on the coffee table in front of her, waiting for him.

It didn’t take long for her to spot the letter in his hand though, the smile disappearing from her face. ‘Liam…’

Liam swallowed, a hurt feeling washing over him and settling in his chest as he realized that her surprise meant that she indeed wasn’t planning on telling him about this letter. His frown deepened, as he decided despite his hurt in that moment to confront her about it now. With a sigh, he held up the letter for her to see.

‘What’s this?’

*****

It stayed silent in the room, painfully so, as Liam waited with a growing feeling of anger and hurt, and he could see in his mom’s eyes as she tried to think of how to answer that question and give an explanation for why she’d planning on hiding a letter from his dad directed at him.

‘Liam, listen…’ she started then, looking up regretfully and carefully gesturing for him to come sit down next to her. Liam frowned, biting his lip in thought, but gave in when his mom looked up at him with a pleading look in her eyes. He did want to hear what she would say. It could be a good explanation.

‘Liam, sweetie,’ she continued then, looking over at him. ‘After… After dad left, when you were born, he started sending letters to me a couple years ago. They all said the same thing. He wanted to see you. But… I… After he left it was already hard enough for me to pick up the pieces, and then there was you, who needed constant care. After a while I just stopped opening them and then I didn’t tell you because I…’

She paused, taking a moment to take a deep breath and Liam swallowed, staring down at the letter in his hands with a heavy, sinking feeling in his stomach.

‘I didn’t think you needed to know that the man who hurt you had tried to reach out, and then he hurt me too, leaving me behind and I just couldn’t bring myself to… To…’ She sniffled, unable to finish her sentence, and when she looked up Liam noticed the tears in her eyes. He took in a breath, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment to keep the tears burning in his own eyes from spilling out.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said then. ‘I should’ve known you would find out eventually. I’m so sorry…’

Liam remained silent, staring down at the unopened envelope in his hands with his heart pounding in his chest. He was sorry too, he realized, as he slowly took in his mothers words and processed how hard these years must have been on her. He hadn’t thought about it, but of course it was hard. It wasn’t her fault that his dad had abandoned them, and her too.

‘Mom…’ he started, placing his trembling hand on her knee and looking up at her, meeting her watery eyes. ‘I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to startle you with this, honestly. I was just… Shocked, to see this, I admit. But… Dad’s an asshole,’ he continued with a feeling of anger burning in his stomach as he thought of the man that had left them both behind.

His mom let out a soft snort at that, sounding a bit like a sob, and she reached out to brush through Liam’s hair. ‘Hmm. I’m only sorry that he didn’t get to see how great you turned out. It’s his loss.’

Liam swallowed, unable to keep the tears from spilling over at that then, rolling down his cheeks. His mom sniffled, wrapping an arm around and pulling him closer against her. Liam closed his eyes for a moment, leaning against her and pressing his face against her shoulder.

‘What do you say?’ she asked, carefully taking the envelope from his hands. ‘Do you want to open it?’

Liam let out a shaky breath at that, looking from the letter to his mom. ‘Mom…’ he started shakily, wiping at his eyes. ‘I want to tell you, uh… No, I don’t want to open it.’ With trembling hands he threw the letter on the coffee table, his heart racing, before he turned to the woman next to him. ‘I don’t need it,’ he continued quietly, his cheeks still wet from the tears. ‘I don’t need him, when I’ve got you. You’re already the best parent I could wish for.’

He meant it, his mom had always been there for him every time that he wondered what it was about him that caused his dad to walk out on him, when he understood now how that weight on her shoulders must have felt. She didn’t walk out on him, she never would, not when she was always there when he wondered what was wrong with him and he got insecure, and unknowingly may have even made her felt like she wasn’t a good enough parent.

‘I’m sorry, mom,’ he concluded with a deep breath, as he really was, making her relive all those memories she had. But he stared at the letter on the table as he still, despite everything, couldn’t help but wonder what it said.

‘You really feel that way?’ his mom asked, her voice emotional with the tears she cried. Liam’s heart ached at the sight; he hated to see her cry.

His eyes burned as he nodded, as he replied: ‘Yeah, of course,’ as he reached out his arms to her, opening them for her. ‘I love you, mom.’

A tear rolled down her cheek as she welcomed his gesture, pulling him against her. ‘I love you too, Liam,’ she mumbled, voice muffled as she was pressed against. ‘I love you so much,’ she whispered, pressing a lingering kiss against his head.

Liam squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his face against her neck as he held onto her tightly, her arms around him feeling warm and at home and any thought of his father forgotten. He didn’t need him. His mother had always been enough for him, as she had taken care of him on her own right after her relationship fell apart, and he could always count on her. It had always been them, his mom had always been his greatest supporter, cheerleader and one of his best friends. What would either of them even do with such an asshole in their lives?

‘You’re enough for me mom,’ he mumbled, his mom responding to the comment by holding him even tighter.

‘You’re enough for me too,’ she muttered, pulling back slowly and pressing a kiss against his cheek. Their attention was caught by the letter on the table and Liam watched as his mom stood up to put it back on the dresser in the hallway. Liam let out a shaky breath, wiping the tear stains off his cheeks before she returned. His heart slowly calmed down to a more normal rate, but he felt exhausted after the exchange they’d just had.

His mom saw it too when she came back, and when she sat down again, she finally poured them the now slightly colder tea she had made for them when he came home from school. Liam hadn’t really expected this to be the way he would spent his afternoon, but he understood that sometimes things were hard to be foreseen. Even if he tried to, most of the time.

‘Come on,’ his mom said, resting against the back of the couch and pulling him against her, her arm around him. She turned on the TV, passing him the remote to find a movie that they both liked. They spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch together, Liam’s homework that he had in his bag forgotten in the hallway, as he leaned against his mom with his eyes on the TV tiredly. She was home, and he didn’t need anybody else to try and uproot that, and make him feel the way with him.

*****

When Theo and Tara arrived that evening, it didn’t take Theo long to figure out that something was wrong. Perhaps it was because Liam still felt worn-out, tired after everything, and his eyes were still a little bit red from crying. Or maybe it was because Theo just knew him so well.

Whatever it was, Theo saw some time after getting the table ready for dinner, to pull him away and ask his questions.

‘Are you alright? You seem a little distracted.’

‘I’m fine,’ Liam lied, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth as he spoke them. He hated lying to Theo, as it always made him feel guilty and the other boy always seemed to know, and he dragged his gaze up to Theo’s reluctantly. After this afternoon he was still shaken, not wanting to talk to him about this, but his best friend always seemed to know when something was up. His stomach churned.

‘Are you sure?’ his best friend asked unsurely. ‘Because I can…’

‘I’m sure,’ Liam interrupted him, the words coming out harsher than he meant, and he swallowed.

Theo’s eyes widened a bit in shock at his tone, and a wave of guilt washed over Liam. Softly he cleared his throat, looking away, but it was then that his mother called them for dinner and Liam let out a soft breath of relief.

‘Let’s go eat,’ he commented quickly, not missing the way Theo’s eyes widened at the change of subject before he turned away fast.

‘Hey!’ Theo started, going after him and grabbing his arm. Liam paused startled, looking up, and Theo’s voice sounded softer as he spoke again. ‘Whatever it is, you can tell me.’

Liam swallowed, guilt burning in his stomach at Theo’s kind promise to be there for him, and how he felt like he couldn’t talk to him just yet.

‘Let’s go eat,’ he repeated, his voice coming out quieter this time, leaving a bad feeling in his stomach and he swallowed. Theo nodded shortly. ‘Okay,’ he responded, slowly accepting it that Liam stayed silent. ‘Yeah, sure.’

Liam nodded, sending Theo another look, before walking to the living room and joining his mom and Tara for dinner. Liam smiled at the smell of the veggies his mom made, his favorite, and took his seat at the table.

‘That smells great, Jenna,’ Tara smiled, having become familiar with his mom’s first name after she babysat the two so many times when they were younger. His mom smiled, thankful to hear that after this day, and Liam couldn’t agree more.

During dinner, he couldn’t help but notice Theo’s gaze lingering on him during the happy conversation, for a few seconds longer than should be normal. Liam frowned, ignoring his best friend’s silent concern and instead focusing on his good food, making another joke, while knowing in the back of his mind that he would probably tell Theo everything tomorrow anyway.

He could never keep anything from his friend too long.

*****

The next morning was a rainy one, and Liam put his hands in his pocket as he walked to school with Theo beside him. They shuffled through the puddled, discussing their math homework that they had to do and their geography teacher that they both had come to dislike, while Liam knew they were just ignoring the elephant in the room.

Liam couldn’t blame Theo for wanting to know, and he wanted to tell him. He did. He frantically tried to figure out a way to start this and tell him, but his stayed terribly empty. It wasn’t until they ran into Alec halfway to school, that he realized that he had run out of chances for now.

At school, they greeted Hayden, Nolan, Mason and Corey and hurried to class, almost coming late again and still needing to find the right way in this maze of a school. Liam sunk down in his seat next to Theo, letting out a breath, and made sure to take the notes he was sure he would need later for tests. Every now and then, he couldn’t help but whisper with Theo and laugh softly at the choice of clothing their geography teacher had picked out now. Theo hid his laugh behind his hand, making sure he didn’t get caught.

The remaining time of class ticked away slowly then, and Liam couldn’t help but shoot a few looks at the clock at the front of the classroom. He tapped his pen on the table, nervously, and when finally the bell rang, signaling the end of their class and start of free period, Liam swallowed. He knew that he would have to talk to Theo now, like he told himself, but that didn’t make him any less nervous to do so.

Quietly, he put his books and notebook back into his bag and walked out of the classroom, waiting for Theo outside in the hallway. Theo shot him a suspicious look, and Liam recognized the worried look in his eyes.

‘Can we talk?’ he asked quietly.

Theo stayed silent for a moment, studying him, before he nodded. ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Sure. Come on.’

Liam nodded, turning around, and they found a quiet place for them in the far back corner of their school’s library. Once seated, Liam bit his lip, finding himself to be quite nervous now that they were here. His heart raced in his chest and he fumbled his hands together on his lap. He looked up, into Theo’s worried eyes, and figured that it was better to spit it out right now, like pulling off a band aid, before he could change his mind again.

‘I got a letter from my dad.’

He watched, quietly, as the look on his best friend’s face changed and his eyes widened, first in surprise, before a look of understanding settles in his eyes. ‘Oh,’ he started, after a moment of silence as he processed the words. ‘Oh, Liam, I’m… I… What are you gonna do?’

Liam gritted his teeth, having dreaded that question that he knew Theo would ask anyway. A sudden wave of anger washed over him at the thought of the asshole that had abandoned him and his mom all his life, now that he’d got hear her side of the story. ‘Nothing,’ he started, grumbling. ‘I didn’t even read it. I didn’t need to. I already know I’m not gonna do anything with it.’

Theo stayed silent, nodding softly with nothing but understanding in his eyes. Liam looked up.

‘My mom told me what it was like for her after he left her. Why should I let a guy who left me, both of us, back in our lives?’

He didn’t realize he was crying until Theo leaned forward and rubbed his shoulder, passing him a tissue. He grabbed it from the table, frantically rubbing it over his eyes.

‘You’re right,’ Theo said, softly. ‘It’s completely normal that you feel that way, you do not need to feel guilty for it.’

Liam looked up, sniffling, as Theo knew him so well that he always seemed to understand what he was thinking. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah,’ Theo said, leaning back again and crossing his arms. ‘I’ve seen what this guy’s done to you. And, to be honest, I really understand where you’re coming from. I would’ve done the same if I were you, probably.’

Liam sighed, dabbing his eyes with the tissue until it was soaked. ‘You don’t think I’m being stupid?’ he asked, as that was what he had been afraid of.

Theo smiled reassuringly, as if he knew Liam felt that way. He probably did. ‘No. I don’t. It’s normal that you don’t want to see him or hear from him.’

Liam remained silent for a moment, letting out a shaky breath and looked down at his lap as he willed himself to stop shaking. ‘I’m sorry to dump all of this on you.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Theo replied. ‘I already knew what your dad did, right? This is hardly anything new. And if anyone knows what it’s like to have a fucked up family, it’s me.’ He chuckled bitterly, and Liam swallowed. Theo looked over at him, shaking his head to him to let him know he shouldn’t get into it right now. ‘Are you feeling… Okay?’

Theo’s voice was quiet, as if he wasn’t sure if he should ask that, and Liam shrugged, looking up.

‘I… I don’t know,’ he replied honestly, his heart still racing in his chest. He had always found it hard to be so open and honest, even with Theo, and such a big thing that happened to him and he had to talk about was bound to leave him feeling shaken for a little while longer.

Theo nodded understandingly. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Well, if you feel like you need to let something out again, you can, alright?’

Liam nodded, letting out a soft chuckle. ‘I know,’ he said, feeling a little calmer about it already. He didn’t know what it was, but Theo always proved to be such a rock for him. Something so steady that he could hold onto, when he felt like a storm was raging inside his head. It was one of the things he appreciated most about his best friend. ‘Thanks, Theo,’ he said quietly.

‘Not a problem,’ Theo smiled, when suddenly the door of the library opened and hurried footsteps walked in. Liam looked up at the sound, and it didn’t long before their friends found them in the corner.

‘There you guys are,’ Hayden exclaimed, as she dropped her bag next to the seat she sat down in. ‘We’ve been looking for you everywhere. I was starting to think you ran away on purpose.’

Liam smiled up at her as best as he could manage, sending her an apologetic look, and Hayden grinned in response, letting him know that it was okay. A sigh spilled past her lips as she dug her notebook out of her bag to catch up on homework, when Corey looked up and noticed Liam’s still slightly red eyes. He frowned, sending a questioning look to them both as he realized that they may have interrupted something. ‘Are you guys okay?’ he asked quietly, making sure no one else would hear.

Liam forced a smile, a soft sigh spilling past his lips as he looked over at Theo. ‘I think so,’ he said, smiling, as Theo did the same.

Corey stayed silent for a moment, watching them, but then he nodded. ‘Okay. Hey, Alec brought a card game and showed us a new game! Alec, show them too!’

‘Sure!,’ Alec laughed, seemingly happy that he could. ‘The more the merrier, right!?’ He pulled the card game out of his backpack, putting them on the table.

Liam chuckled, leaning back in his chair as he felt himself relax slowly, and watched as Alec struggled to explain the game to them. Theo caught his eyes halfway through, rolling his eyes, and Liam snorted.

In the end though, he was having good fun, and by the end of their free period he found himself to be relaxed enough to make it through the rest of the day, the thoughts of his dad pushed to the back of his mind like a noise that he’d gotten used to and almost forgotten. He had to get used to his classmates, but it wasn’t hard to see that in the end their new friends were pretty amazing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments make my day! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam bonds with Mason and Hayden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while. But here's a chapter! Enjoy! :)

# It was a week after his father’s letter, that Liam felt more excited to go school again. He walked the way through the park with Theo like he always did, the end of the summer sun still shining through the trees and warming their faces, until they ran into Alec like they did a lot lately, and walked the rest of the way to school with him.

Liam let out a soft sigh when the high school appeared in front of them, still having to adjust to the change of scenery, and leaving the fresh air behind as he followed Theo and Alec inside. The two boys seemed to have mastered their skills of pushing their way through the morning crowd in the hallway to their lockers, something which Liam was all too grateful for, because they left an open path behind them that he could easily follow before getting lost between the older people again.

It wasn’t until they reached their lockers and Theo went to his own locker on the other side of the corridor before walking into the bathroom, that Mason spotted Liam in the hallway and walked up from behind him. ‘Hey Liam!’

Liam jumped, startled at the boy’s sudden voice, before he looked over his shoulder and stuffed the books he’d need for the day in his backpack. He was still getting used to how much heavier it was now than at their previous school. ‘Hey Mason,’ he smiled.

‘Have you seen this!?’ Mason started excitedly, almost impatiently, as he barely let Liam finish his sentence, ‘N-No…’ before speaking again.

‘It’s a poster for a school party!’ he exclaimed, shaking the poster back and forth so hard that Liam could barely read what it said. ‘Our first school party!’

Liam swallowed, turning around fully now, as a nauseating feeling crept up on him at the thought of that. ‘Mason, no…’ he started, wanting to explain to the boy why he couldn’t go, before Mason continued and his chance was lost.

‘We’re going,’ the boy announced, his eyes wide and excitement written all over his face. Liam swallowed, the guilt burning in his chest.

‘Well, I don’t mean just us,’ Mason chuckled when he stayed silent. ‘We could all go, Nolan, Corey, Alec, Theo and Hayden can come too.’

The thought of the bigger group reassured Liam in a strange way, just as much as it made him more restless at the same time since he felt more at ease being in a smaller company, it had always been just him and Theo. Before he could answer though, explain that he didn’t really go to parties and even as a child he’d hated birthday parties, they were interrupted by an older blonde girl walking out of the girls’ bathroom next to them and crashed into Mason. He winced, rubbing his arm painfully where she’d walked against him, and she’d frowned.

‘Sorry,’ she started, though Liam felt like she looked at them like she didn’t really see them, and unknowingly took a step backwards. ‘I didn’t see you there.’

Mason stared up at her, signaling to her that it was okay while still clutching his arm like a deer in the headlights, before she walked further without saying anything.

Liam let out his breath that he’d been holding, stepping away from the lockers that he stood pressed against and stared after the girl that had been nothing short of intimidating. Quickly, he glanced back at Mason, who looked over as the girl walked around the corner as well.

‘Are you okay?’ he wanted to know.

Mason glanced back at him, his eyes a little hazy and the boy a little lost in his thoughts before he regained focus and seemed to tune back in. ‘Hmm? Yeah, fine…’

Liam bit his lip, still getting the feeling that something was off from Mason's absent tone, but he nodded. ‘Okay…’ he said, ‘Okay,’ not daring to press and ask further, that was usually something Theo did, better than him, and not really getting the chance to anyway before Theo joined them again with a laugh on his face.

‘Mason, what do you have there?’

Mason’s smile returned to his face, tentative at first, before it grew wider again. He held up the poster for Theo to see. ‘It’s for a school dance!’ he said, regaining his enthusiasm for it. ‘I thought we could all go together.’

Theo’s smile widened at that, before a chuckle escaped his mouth as he took a closer look at the poster. ‘That’s a nice idea,’ he grinned. ‘But, eh, you didn’t rip that from the wall though, did you?’

Mason’s eyes widened at that, the boy sputtering at the accusation. ‘No! I found it… On the floor,’ he laughed with red cheeks. With a grin he turned to Liam, the expectant look still in his eyes. ‘Liam?’

Liam coughed, growing hot as he thought he’d avoided the question and thinking of the best way to say the words that usually caused people to look at him weird. Theo smiled. ‘I, uh, don’t really go to parties,’ he managed. ‘Not the partying type.’

Mason nodded, an understanding smile playing at his lips. ‘I, uh, kinda got that?’ he said, sounding apologetic for his words. ‘But I thought if it is with all of us it might be different,’ he admitted sheepishly, and Liam blinked.

Well. That was not the reaction he expected. And it was certainly different than all the strange looks he usually got.

Mason chuckled, putting the poster back where he found it. ‘Let’s just go to class first for now, yeah? Before we come too late,’ he said, grinning at Liam. ‘You can decide later.’

Liam nodded, staying silent, as he processed the surprise of Mason’s reaction. It lifted a weight from his shoulders, made him almost want to go to the school party, and a cautious happy smile pulled at his lips, his heart racing in his chest as he followed Mason and Theo to the stairs. They ran into the others on their way to the classroom, seeing Hayden, Alec, Nolan and Corey on the first floor, and went inside together, so they could at least sit close together during class.

*****

The news of going to the school dance travelled fast around their group during class, as Mason insisted on passing a note around since they didn’t have each other’s phone numbers yet. It was risky and they got close to getting caught at some point, if Hayden hadn’t been smart enough to hide the note in her diary quickly, and slammed it shut to hide it from Mrs. Fields' eye.

Liam was pretty sure the girl had to be some sort of ninja or something.

They all barely contained their laughter after that, Liam smiling and staring out of the window at the other’s giggling. Mrs. Field had to give them a warning despite not being caught, but quickly, Liam took notice of the way most of the others of their new group seemed to agree with going to the dance. His shoulders tensed, sliding down in his chair a little, and ticked his pen on the edge of his table nervously.

He didn’t like parties. Not even with a such a big group as something to hold onto. He glanced towards Theo beside him, the boy chuckling softly and whispering something to Corey over his shoulder with a smile, and sighed. It would be fine, he told himself. Theo was good at this, so much better than him, but it would be fine. At least he didn’t have to worry about it anymore for now, as Mrs. Field continued with the part of class where she assigned the homework, and let them work on it until the bell rant, signaling the end of their French class. Liam leaned forward, filling in the answers to the exercises they had to do, and comparing and discussing answers with Theo. It wasn’t until they all had lunch together outside during lunch break, that the subject of the school party seemed to be forgotten and Hayden started a new subject.

‘Ah man,’ she sighed contently, leaning back on the lawn and enjoying the sun on her face, her eyes narrowed against the light. ‘We should do something after school.’

The reluctant groaning she earned in response had her open her eyes, and look around the group with an almost offended look in her eyes. ‘Oh, come on!’ she protested, glancing towards Alec. ‘The summer’s gonna be almost over, you guys wanna tell me that you don’t want ice cream while we still can?’

It stayed silent, Hayden waiting for an answer, and Corey leaned forward, clearing his throat. ‘I think it’s a good idea,’ he said, smiling at her softly. Hayden looked back at him thankfully.

‘I could do with ice cream,’ Nolan chimed in, taking a bite from his sandwich.

‘Me too,’ Theo commented with a smile, Liam nodding in agreement. Hayden looked around the group, her usual determination seeming to return to her.

‘Okay,’ she said, leaning back in the sun again. ‘Okay, that’s a plan then. There’s an ice cream shop close by my house, real cute too.’

Liam smiled, looking around the group as he ate his lunch and sat back in the warm grass next to Theo. He felt light, enjoying the last bit of summer, and almost unable to believe how quick this group made plans with each other like it was nothing. How comfortable they all already felt with each other. And how maybe, he could be a part of that too.

*****

The ice cream shop that Hayden showed them was cute, close by her house indeed, small but with the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Liam loved it, stepping around last, and looked around with a smile forming on his face. He wondered how they’d never found this place before.

‘Amazing, right?’ Hayden asked with a smile, stepping up beside him.

Liam looked up, nodding. ‘Definitely. I can already see some flavors they don’t have in the shop in town.’

Hayden nodded, grinning, and putting her hands in her pockets. ‘Yeah, it’s one of the things I love most about this place. My favorite is definitely the strawberry shortcake ice cream.’

Liam stayed silent, nodding at her comment instead, and stared to the front where Alec, Nolan, Corey, Mason and Theo were all trying to order their ice cream and talking over each other loudly, making it horribly confusing and annoying for the poor employee trying to keep up with them. Next to him Hayden snorted, unable to keep in her laughter at their clumsiness, and Liam looked over at her, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips at the sound.

‘I’m not gonna do what they do,’ he said, much to his own surprise, nodding to the group standing by the counter. ‘I’ll just have what you have.’

‘Wise choice,’ Hayden grinned, gesturing for him to come when the rest of their group was finally done and sat down at a table in the back with their ice cream. Liam stepped up to the counter after her, staying silent as Hayden smiled at the employee to greet him and ordered a strawberry shortcake ice cream for the both of them.

Liam smiled, muttering a thank you as the employee handed him his ice cream, and followed Hayden to the rest of their friends. With a content sigh, he sunk down in the seat next to Mason and scooped up a little bit of ice cream with the little spoon he was given, tasting it. ‘So, who else is thinking that the amount homework kind of sucks?’ Alec said, making Liam glance up at him over his ice cream. ‘I didn’t have that at my previous school, I can tell you.’

‘None of us did,’ Corey commented, before Nolan glanced up and admitted: ‘I actually think it’s kinda cool. I used to be sort of jealous of my cousin, but she always complained about too much homework.’

‘As you do,’ Hayden replied, causing a wave of circle of laughter around the group, but Liam had barely a chance to pay attention to it before Mason nudged his side, making him look over at him. He seemed glad to be able to talk to Liam in a little quieter way, without the others listening to them.

‘So, Liam, how come you don’t like parties?’ he asked, making sure no one would be able to overhear them.

Liam’s lips parted at that, his eyes widening, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. He should’ve known the subject would be brought up again. ‘I, uh…’ he started, coughing and wiping his sweaty hands on his jeans before looking up again. He shrugged nervously, his heart racing in his chest fast. ‘I just don’t like… A lot of people,’ he managed.

‘Crowds?’ Mason asked calmly, not a hint of prejudice that Liam feared so much in his voice to be detected, much to Liam’s surprise. He leaned back against the back of his seat, his shoulders relaxing a bit as he just nodded and bit his lip. ‘Yeah,’ he breathed, surprised with himself that he was even so open with the other boy.

Mason nodded, an understanding look in his eyes and a soft smile on his face that had Liam relax in his seat. ‘Is this alright for you?’ he asked, nodding towards the group surrounding them. Liam followed his gaze, a wave of surprise hit him as he took in the laughing group of people.

‘Oh yeah,’ he said determinedly, looking back at Mason. ‘This is fine. It’s just… Parties are so loud and a bit…’

_Overwhelming_, he didn’t finish his sentence, the word hanging between them as Mason seemed like he knew exactly what Liam was talking about even as he didn’t say it out loud. He nodded.

‘And him?’ he asked, gesturing towards Theo, the other boy currently trying a taste from Alec’s cherry ice cream.

Liam followed his gaze, smiling as he looked at his best friend with a warm feeling growing in his chest. ‘Oh, I’ve known Theo basically since I was four years old. We were lucky to get into the same class in school here.’

Mason’s eyes were wide, an impressed laugh escaping his mouth at Liam’s words. ‘Wow, that’s a long time! I can imagine why you get along so well.’

Liam laughed at Mason’s impressed tone, taking another bite from his ice cream. Hayden glanced towards him, holding up her cup of ice cream in a silent question of asking him if he liked it, and Liam smiled, nodding. He leaned back, a happy feeling settling in his stomach sitting here in the sun soaked ice cream shop, before turning back to Mason.

‘So, uhm…’ the boy started. ‘Say we all go, together, would you be more comfortable going to the school party?’

Immediately, Liam felt his shoulders tense up again, swallowing and pausing where his spoon with ice cream was halfway to his mouth. He glanced over at Mason, anxiously waiting if he would say something more.

‘I mean, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to, of course,’ Mason continued hurriedly, the realization that he was only trying to make Liam comfortable hitting him and putting a careful smile on his face. Mason was just, a really, really nice person, wasn’t he? Liam thought reluctantly. ‘I just… thought it’d be fun,’ Mason said.

Liam nodded, staying silent, as he processed the words and quietly considered them. He was impressed with the way Mason seemed to have known what bothered him, and went out of his way to make sure he felt comfortable, and relaxed a little bit again after his words. A cautious smile tugged at his lips and he took another bite of his ice cream quickly, hiding it. Maybe… Maybe Mason was right and all of them going together would be enough to stay comfortable at the party, if there was always at least one person he knew that he could stay close to in the midst of the crowd. He sighed, the thought of doing it like that and the kindness of Mason making him almost want to go, actually even making him feel excited to go. With a soft breath escaping his lips, he looked over at Mason, bringing his spoon to his mouth. ‘I’ll think about it,’ he managed but not promising anything, making the other boy look up at him in surprise, as he’d thought that the subject had been over.

A wide smile exploded on Mason’s face at that, pushing against Liam’s shoulder excitedly as his eyes sparkled brightly. ‘Alright!’ he called and Liam couldn't help but burst out laughing.

‘I’m not promising anything!’ he called in response to let Mason know that, the thought of a loud crowded party still making his stomach turn painfully, and careful not to drop his cup of ice cream.

‘That’s okay,’ Mason told him, scooping up a bit of ice cream. ‘Just take your time.’

Liam nodded, his heart swelling as he was surprised once again at Mason’s kindness, that would surely never cease to amaze him, and smiling so widely at the comment that it hurt his cheeks, he went back to his ice cream, focusing on whatever else the group was talking about. Mason didn’t hesitate to shout his opinion about a new video game Nolan wanted to buy, and every now and then, they remembered to ask for Liam’s opinion as well, which he gave all too gladly with a smile on his face. It wasn’t hard to notice how accepting this group was, and he thought he couldn’t be any luckier with how he found them.

Still, he knew he owed it largely to Theo, knowing that he would never have been able to make new friends so easily if it wasn’t for him and his social skills, and would just have gone back to being that weird kid that ate lunch alone during the lunch breaks. So Liam smiled, happily, when Theo switched places with Corey a few minutes after that, so he could sit next to Liam and strike up a conversation of their own, if they felt like it.

*****

After they had finished their ice cream, they all walked back to their houses together, Hayden being the first to say goodbye to them. She smiled, telling them she’d see them tomorrow, and Liam followed after the rest of the group between Theo and Mason.

‘So, Liam here tells me…’ Mason started cheerfully, swinging his arm around Liam’s shoulder, ‘That you’ve known him since you were four. That’s so long already!’

Theo grinned, nodding as he looked from Mason to Liam. ‘It is,’ he said, his eyes brightening up as a memory popped into his head and he laughed. ‘You remember how… How we met?’ he asked, having to pause in the middle of his sentence and catch his breath from laughing too much.

Liam’s cheeks heated up at the question, and he pushed his best friend against his shoulder. ‘Shut up! I was four!’

Mason’s eyes were wide, wildly looking between them with a wide grin playing at his lips as if they were an action movie. ‘What!? How!?’

Theo chuckled, taking a deep breath to stop laughing again before he could answer. ‘In our very first year of school or so, Liam here was very obsessed with little toy cars. He absolutely wouldn’t let me play with one. It ended in a fight, so our teacher back then had to call our parents.’

Liam was sure his cheeks were the color of a tomato, his heart racing in his chest in embarrassment. He coughed. ‘Well, I apologized, didn’t I?’ he muttered, glancing up. ‘And we’ve been friends ever since then.’

Theo nodded, smiling softly at him before turning back to Mason. ‘So yeah. That’s kinda how it happened.’

Liam nodded in agreement, putting his hands in his pockets, and Mason smiled, his eyes wide with wonder. ‘That’s honestly sort of amazing,’ he mumbled. 'I'm jealous.'

Theo snorted at the comment, glancing over at Liam with a look in his eyes that told Liam he agreed with Mason; it was sort of amazing. With his lips twitching into a smile Liam lowered his eyes, directing his gaze towards the pavement beneath his feet. He sent Theo a brief smile, thinking back on that day, and how he’d already kinda established it as the luckiest day of his life. If he could go back in time, he wouldn’t do it any different. And he knew Theo felt the same.

Mostly quiet for the rest of the day, they said goodbye to their friends, and Liam walked back to Theo’s house with before going home himself. There he said goodbye, knowing that Theo and Tara wouldn’t come to dinner that night as he light burning inside the house told Liam that his mother was home, and turned to walk back home alone, his hands stuck in his pockets.

Suddenly, he missed the loudness of the group, their constant talking and laughing and shouting. Without it, it was easy to feel very alone very quick.

Sighing, he turned the corner of his street, a smile tugging at his lips as he remembered that his mom would probably have tea for them like she always did. Hurriedly he walked to his house, but slowed his pace when he saw his mom talking to a tall man on their front step, laughing something to him in response.

Liam frowned, walking closer until pieces of sentences reached his ears in the wind.

‘…See you tomorrow, David. Today was a good day.’

The man, David as Liam guessed was his name, nodded and dug his car keys out of his pocket. ‘Glad I could give you a ride home.’

His mother nodded and Liam walked closer, his mom opening her mouth to respond just as he said: ‘Mom?’

She looked up at Liam calling her name, turning to him smiling. ‘Liam, there you are. I was already wondering why you were so late today.’

Liam frowned, keeping his gaze on the guy standing by his name before he looked back at her, explaining that he went to get ice cream with some friends. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t text you,’ he said, a guilty feeling washing over him as he now remembered what he’d forgotten to do. Usually he always let his mom know where he was.

She smiled, chuckling. ‘That’s okay. I was young once too, I get it.’ She turned back to the man standing next to her, smiling friendly. ‘David, this is Liam, my son, who I was telling you about.’

Liam frowned at the comment, staring up at David with a heavy feeling settling in his stomach, as David smiled back friendly and held out his hand. Liam eyed it suspiciously. ‘Nice to meet you. I’m David. Your mother has been talking about you a lot indeed.’

A frown formed on Liam’s face at that, glancing up at the man before him and shook his hand reluctantly, saying nothing as he did. He didn’t know who this man was, or why his mom felt the need to mention him to the guy, but something about the situation didn’t feel right to him. An uneasy feeling washed over him, settling heavily in his stomach.

‘…Mom?’ he started slowly, tearing his gaze away from the man and stepping closer to the door. ‘I’m gonna go inside, yeah?’

His mom nodded, and Liam opened the door. ‘Of course. I’ll be there in a minute, maybe you can start the tea for us.’

Liam nodded, glad to be given something to do and glanced towards David once more before making his way inside the house. Behind him, right as he’d put his backpack down, he heard David say: ‘I think I’m actually gonna take off now. Busy night.’

‘Right,’ his mom chuckled in response, and Liam looked over his shoulder, following the scene unfolding outside with wide eyes. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow David.’

It stayed silent, Liam only caught a glimpse of David walking to his car, and as he heard the front door close and his mom’s footsteps walking towards him through the hallway he quickly dove into the kitchen, to avoid being caught eavesdropping.

A smile was clear on his mom's face as she stepped into the kitchen, sighing softly. ‘Sorry that took a while,’ she said. ‘We got to talking.’

Liam gave a short nod, grabbing the two mugs for them and pouring the hot water in, before glancing up at her. ‘Mom?’ he asked, a slightly dry feeling in his mouth. ‘Who was that?’

His mom looked up, turning to him from where she was standing by the counter. ‘That was David,’ she replied, in a tone that told Liam she knew what he was thinking. ‘A coworker from the hospital.’

Her comment was followed by silence, as Liam said nothing and instead considered her words carefully in his head. _Coworker_, he thought. _One that he’d never heard her about before_. Somehow the word didn’t seem right to him.

And technically, he seemed nice enough, but there was something about him and the whole situation that didn’t feel right to Liam, that made a uneasy feeling grow heavy in his stomach.

Because he was pretty sure that just “coworkers” weren’t supposed to look at his mom like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also may have made a playlist for this fic, to get me in the right mood when writing it. It's called When We Were Young - Thiam  
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6IjTqZPpF1bzvIUiAnA0Eo?si=LFcA1_2qTtyacnVrU50Pqw  
And that was it so I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think, comments make my day! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! (As you might have noticed I added some tags for extra warning, hope you don't mind those ;)  
I hope you enjoy! :)

Liam could admit, at least to himself, that the get well soon card with the pink glittery letters and the small teddy bear on the front was at least a little ridiculous. Despite that, he knew it was kinda sweet of Corey and Nolan to buy the card, and he was glad that they did.

‘I don’t know, I’m telling you, man,’ Alec said, ‘She might not be happy if we all show up on her doorstep together. I know I wouldn’t be if I was sick.’

‘Great, we’ll keep in mind not to pay you a visit next time you’re feeling ill,’ Nolan laughed, sticking out his tongue at him, but Liam thought he had a point.

He stared at the pink letters with which the teddy bear would wish Hayden to get well soon, the card they’d bought after she texted them she had been up all night with a headache and nausea and wouldn’t be coming to school. ‘He might have a point,’ he mumbled.

Corey looked over his shoulder, smiling. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘That’s why Nolan, Alec and I signed the card first. We won’t be coming,’ a smirk growing on his face at Alec and Nolan’s offended protesting. ‘Hey!’

Corey snorted. ‘You said it yourself: you wouldn’t like it,’ earning a frown from Alec in return as he used his own words against him. ‘We can visit another time.’

Alec huffed, before he let out a soft sigh giving in, and Nolan nodded, letting Corey know that it sounded like a plan and that Alec was just being difficult again.

‘Right, well,’ Corey started, as the beginning of a goodbye. ‘We’ll see you guys later. Tell Hayden we said hi, and get well soon.’

Theo smiled, nodding. ‘Will do,’ he promised, taking the card from Corey. Corey nodded, giving a short wave, and he, Nolan and Alec crossed the street then, walking down into the street that lead to the center of town. As they did, Liam jumped to catch up with Theo and Mason, as they took a step to the side to let him walk in between them.

‘You know, I wasn’t gonna say it before now, because I think it’s genius,’ Mason started, studying the card in Theo’s hands. ‘But that card is a little childish, isn’t it?’

At that, a snort escaped Theo’s lips, ‘You’re right, it is genius,’ he said, and Liam laughed. He coughed, continuing, ‘Alec just does what he wants, he doesn’t care about what people will think of him,’ he said, his cheeks starting to burn at his own words. ‘He’s always just himself, it’s kinda admirable…’ Liam’s heart raced in his chest at the thought of how true that was, how it was kind of admirable, and how he always wished he could be like that. Life seemed to be a lot easier that way. But deep down, Liam knew he would always be that guy who cared about other people’s opinions too much.

‘Hey,’ Theo started, interrupting Liam’s thoughts startling him, and he looked up unsurely at Theo’s smile, his cheeks burning. ‘There’s nothing wrong with still figuring yourself out either,’ he said, softer, looking over at Liam.

At that, Liam’s eyes widened slightly, and he stared over at Theo with a sure look in the other boy’s eyes, certain as hell of his words, before Mason joined in on their conversation.

‘He’s right,’ he said. ‘The world would be kinda boring if everyone was the same.’

Liam nodded softly, looking down at his feet as he bit his lip, and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans with a sigh. Mason and Theo’s words hit something inside of him, knowing that they were right, and yet he knew the world had a way of always praising the outgoing, extrovert people just a little bit more.

‘I think we’re here, this must be it,’ Mason interrupted his thoughts, looking up from his phone again to check the address for the hundredth time that day and staring up at a house connected to the ones on both sides of it towering over them, before Liam could get too lost inside his head and lose himself there, into any dark thoughts it may cause.

He turned, staring over the house with the green front door and the windows on the side of it through which you could see into the living room, revealing a cozy living room, and the front yard lining up with the street was small, but well-kept. More than anything, it looked like home, and Liam smiled. It looked nice.

‘Come on,’ Theo gestured, interrupting their silence, as he continued his pace onto the path to the front door.

Liam let out a shaky breath, exchanging a quick look with Mason and hiding his hands in his pocket, before they followed after him. As they did, though, the front door opened and they were taken by surprise, frozen in their steps as a young woman in a police-uniform a couple years older than them stepped outside.

She paused, frozen in her movements of locking up the door as she took notice of them. A frown settled on her face, as she turned to face them. ‘Hello. Can I help you?’

Liam bit his lip, glancing towards Theo as he stayed silent.

‘Uh, we’re…’ Theo started unsurely, thinking of the best way to explain, when Mason cut him off and continued.

‘We’re friends of Hayden. She’s home, right?’ he asked, only betrayed by his nervousness when a hint of it sounded through his voice. ‘We, uh, wanted to pay her visit, since we know she’s ill.’

The woman put her keys away, studying Mason’s face. Liam swallowed, though a smile formed on her face and she turned to them fully. ‘That’s very nice of you, I’m sure she’d like that,’ she said, before turning serious again. ‘What are your names?’

Theo smiled, taking a step forward as he was the first one to get used to the unexpected situation. ‘I’m Theo,’ he started, nodding towards them as he introduced them. ‘And this Liam, and Mason.’

‘Valerie,’ the woman introduced herself in return. ‘Hayden’s sister. Are you all in her class?’

Mason nodded in confirmation at the question and Valerie nodded, crossing her arms as she shot a quick look over her shoulder at the house. ‘I’m actually… Supposed to go the station,’ she said hesitantly. ‘But…’ She frowned in thought. ‘I suppose I could let you in. I won’t be long now that she’s ill anyway. Just, Hayden’s still feeling pretty tired. Don’t make it too long, okay?’

At that, Theo nodded, reassuring her that they wouldn’t overstay their welcome, and Liam bit his lip as he stared up at the house in thought, feeling bad for Hayden that she had to be in bed unable to do anything she wanted, hoping that she would be feeling better soon.

Valerie nodded, giving in and turning to open the door for them, smiling as they stepped over the doorstep. ‘It’s the second door to the right,’ she instructed, stepping outside again after Mason gave her a nod that they got it. ‘I won’t be gone long.’

After saying goodbye, she closed the door behind him, and Liam turned, swallowing. He stared up at the stairs at the end of the hallway, leading up to the first floor.

‘She’s nice, letting us in,’ Mason commented and Theo nodded in agreement, though Liam didn’t miss the nervousness in his voice now that they were inside. He couldn’t deny that he understood perfectly, feeling the same thing Mason did as it always felt a little weird coming to a friend’s house for the first time, the uncertainty of the situation hovering over you. Especially if you weren’t invited by said friend because they were ill and showed up in surprise without her knowing.

Theo grinned then, gesturing for them to come after him. ‘Come on,’ he urged, starting to climb the stairs, with Mason following after him. Liam scrambled to catch up with them, closing the line. Halfway up the stairs to the first floor, he heard Hayden calling out to them, her voice echoing through the house.

‘Val!?’ she called with a hoarse sounding voice. ‘Who was at the door?’

Theo chuckled, looking over his shoulder, and Liam felt a grin form on his face as he saw Theo’s eyes sparkle, the other boy having fun with this.

‘It’s just us,’ he laughed as he opened the door to her bedroom, the one that Valerie had told them would be hers, and Liam came to a stop in the doorway as Hayden’s eyes widened and lit up upon seeing them, quick to sit up straighter.

Liam looked around the bedroom, taking in the blue of the walls, the desk by the window with the computer on it and the photo sets on the wall above it, and the bookshelf next to it filled from top to bottom with book series. It didn’t look like the room Liam had imagined, but from what he knew about Hayden, it totally fit her. Feisty, and with good taste.

‘Guys!’ Hayden exclaimed, a smile forming quickly on her face. ‘What are you doing here!?’

Mason grinned, stepping up to her. ‘We heard you were ill. Can’t leave you all alone during that can we?’

Hayden stayed silent at his comment, lowering her eyes to fumble with the small stuffed sheep in her lap. She looked up, letting out a sigh. ‘You have no idea how boring it is being stuck in bed all day,’ making Theo and Mason laugh with her petulant tone. Liam grinned, closing the bedroom door behind and walking up to them, taking the big blue beanbag next to Theo as Mason had already taken up the desk chair.

Hayden sighed. ‘I’m really glad you’re here. But I’m still, like… Ugh.’

They burst out laughing at that, and Mason nodded, collecting himself and stopping his laughing before he spoke up next. ‘We know, we’re not supposed to stay long. But a visit’s always nice.’

‘Did my sister tell you that?’ Hayden raised her eyebrows, her displeasure with her sister’s request written on her face. ‘She always does things like that.’

‘Well,’ Mason exchanged a look with Theo and Liam, ‘We, eh, also got you a card.’ He stood up, passing it over to her as Hayden opened it up with her eyes brightening up. ‘Also signed by Corey, Alec and Nolan. We didn’t think we should all come, but they said hi and hope you get well soon.’

‘Ah,’ Hayden sniffled, chuckling as she closed the card and placed it upright on her nightstand. ‘That’s sweet. Thanks, you guys.’

‘So how are you feeling?’ Theo asked, smiling, after a moment. ‘What have you been up to here?’

Hayden sighed, forcing a smile. ‘Sleeping, mostly. Done some reading, watching movies. Do you guys know _Jumanji_?'

‘Heard of it,’ Mason said. ‘Never seen it. Is it good?’

Hayden shrugged, chuckling. ‘It’s alright, nothing too special. But it’s all I have for entertainment, so…’

‘That sounds dull,’ Theo agreed, grinning amused as Hayden threw her hands up in defense. ‘It is! I mean, it’s nearing the end of summer, I should be outside while I still can!’ pausing a moment as they laughed at her outburst. She giggled, looking more cheerful as she said: ‘The only other good thing that comes out of this is my sister bringing me tea or food. I don’t have to get it myself.’

They giggled at that, Mason wiping through his eye, before Theo suggested: ‘I could do with some tea as well, actually.’

‘Do you want me to make some?’ Hayden coughed, already starting to throw aside her bedcovers, as Theo stopped her, hurriedly. ‘No, no, we’ll do that. For you too.’

‘That is, if you tell us where the kitchen is,’ Mason finished his sentence sheepishly, earning a laugh from the rest who were in the room.

‘Downstairs, through the living room, and you can’t miss it,’ Hayden grinned. ‘It’s an open space.’

‘Got it,’ Theo replied, standing up from the beanbag and pulling a chuckling Liam up with him. ‘Come on, we are smart and we got this, I bet we can find everything in the kitchen eventually,’ as Liam snorted at his stupid joke. He’d missed that, with everything that had been going on lately and how busy school was, both of them getting caught up in their new friend group, Liam missed the times when it had been just him and Theo.

‘Thanks guys,’ Hayden said behind them, sincerely, as Mason shot a smile over his shoulder. ‘Really.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Mason reassured, as he and Theo slipped out of the room. Liam made move to go after them, wanting to help with the drinks, when something out of the corner caught his eye and he paused, missing his friends’ footsteps going down the stairs.

He turned around curiously, shooting Hayden an expectant look. ‘You’ve read _The Maze Runner_ series too?’

Hayden looked up at his question surprised, having expected him to go downstairs with the others, before realization settled and her eyes lit up, a grin forming on her face. ‘You too?’ she asked laughing, putting her phone away. ‘They were pretty good, right?’

‘Right,’ Liam chuckled softly, closing the door, before walking back to boldly sit on the edge of her bed, his heart beating faster. ‘Though the first is definitely my favorite, both book and movie.’

‘Totally,’ Hayden agreed with a smile. ‘I literally flew through them. Thomas is my favorite.’

‘Same,’ Liam chuckled, taking a moment of silence as Hayden gave a soft smile, patting the space on the bed beside her, above the covers. ‘You can sit here too, if you want,’ she said. ‘That way there’s more space for everyone.’

Liam paused, hesitating as he followed her gaze, and he bit his lip. ‘Yeah… Sure,’ he responded, his heart beating faster and his cheeks heated. Hayden smiled as he sunk down on the bed beside her, propping himself up against the headboard as their shoulders brushed and making sure to leave a little bit of space between them still. His sweaty hands he hid in his lap, forcing himself to take a few deep breaths to calm his heart hammering in his chest.

A sigh escaping from Hayden’s lips had him look over, biting his lip as he saw the frown on her face. Slowly, seeming sad, she looked up. ‘Liam?’ she asked, a question that he could only nod at as his mouth felt dry in that moment. ‘Be a honest with me for a moment. Have I missed a lot at school?’

Liam paused, feeling a bit taken aback as it wasn’t really what he expected, before a smile made its way onto his face. ‘Not really,’ he said softly, meaning it seriously as much as he was joking. ‘English has really just dragged by slowly, science and chemistry are both given by teachers who treat us like we’re stupid, and the math teacher just drones on and on about stuff that no one gets. The only thing that’s even a little bit interesting is history.’ And that was just because it was his favorite subject, and he was more than pleased with their teacher for it.

Hayden’s eyes were wide, processing his words, before she giggled. ‘That’s good to know,’ she laughed, the words getting through to Liam after only just a moment, before he let out a laugh too. ‘Though if you want,’ he continued, ‘I can help you get by when you feel well enough again, and come back to school.’

Hayden smiled, warmly. ‘Thank you. That’d be nice. I did actually get some work done, but I think I could use that.’

Liam nodded. ‘Okay. That’s a deal then,’ surprising himself with the forward idea. It was not something he usually did.

‘That’s a deal,’ Hayden chuckled in response, both of them looking over as the door opened again and Theo and Mason came back in, both carrying two cups of tea in their hands. Liam watched as a Theo turned towards them, a stunned look forming on his face at seeing him sitting on the bed next to Hayden, before turning into a slight frown. Liam squirmed at the reaction, subconsciously moving away a little from Hayden.

‘Here you go,’ Theo smiled, carefully passing them their mugs as it was hot, and Hayden smiled, giving him a nod, before taking a careful sip, enjoying the hot drink. Liam followed Theo with his eyes as he walked back through the room, taking his cup from Mason before carefully nestling down in the beanbag again.

‘It took a while, but we found everything!’ Mason laughed, falling down on the desk chair again.

Hayden grinned, before falling into coughing fit. ‘That’s great,’ she said, clearing her throat. Liam chuckled, catching Theo’s gaze from across the room and lifted up the little teaspoon in his mug, taking a sip from the tiny bit of tea on there, referring back to the time he’d seen Theo do that when they were kids and the tea was too hot.

A wide grin formed on Theo’s face as he understood, ear to ear, and he didn’t hesitate to flip Liam off, receiving a feigned offended reaction in return. Liam grinned, his chest warm.

It wasn’t long, after that, before Hayden gave them a tour of her room from where she was sitting in her bed, and Mason browsed through her bookshelf, digging up a stack of horse magazines that Hayden claimed were from her ‘horse girl phase’, back in her previous school. It left them all laughing, together, before they each ended up with a smaller stack of magazines in their lap, Hayden in bed and Mason on the desk chair, as Liam joined Theo in the beanbag again and they flicked through them together, laughing, as they finished their tea.

It was only shortly after that, that Valerie returned home and Hayden began to look tired again, her eyes drooping. Liam, Theo and Mason saw the silent question for them to leave in the strict look in Valerie’s eyes, as they thought the same thing already. Hayden would get better sooner if she got the rest she needed, she didn’t need them to wear her out more than she already was.

They made sure to give Hayden a quick goodbye before they left, telling her to get well soon as Valerie walked with them down the stairs, and Hayden already crawled deeper under the covers again.

Outside, Valerie took a moment to thank them for stopping by, letting them know that Hayden would’ve liked it as she had already complained of how bored she was, and Mason grinned. Liam smiled, nodding in response. Sitting still was nothing for Hayden.

They went on their way again after that, Liam catching up with Theo and Mason until he walked in the middle, and they walked to the main street of town to meet up with Corey, Alec and Nolan in the little coffeeshop where they’d said they would meet.

*****

‘Are you coming to the school party?’

‘I don’t know. I explained it to Mason, but I think he took my maybe as a yes.’

‘I would like it if you did.’

Liam turned, staring over at Theo quietly as they were both hanging upside down from Liam’s bed, their feet touching the wall next to it like they did when they were younger, to find Theo’s green eyes already staring back at him. He swallowed, uncertain at the unfamiliar look in Theo’s eyes. He sighed, pushing up until he sat upright on the bed and leaned forward on his knees, waiting a moment before Theo did the same. He felt like maybe there was something else they needed to talk about first.

He sighed, looking up to meet Theo’s eyes, looking back at him in confusion. ‘Are we okay?’ he managed, forcing the words past his lips before he could chicken out again. His hands were pressed together in his lap.

Beside him, Theo let out a little laugh, making Liam look back up at him. ‘Last I checked we were,’ he said, moving a little closer to Liam, a gentle look on his face. ‘Are you saying we aren’t?’

Liam paused, staring up at Theo’s face, the expectant look he found in his best friend’s eyes. He shrugged, a sudden frustrated huff spilling past his lips. ‘No,’ he started honestly. ‘I just… Mean I feel like we’ve barely seen each other lately, with everything that’s been going on and how busy school’s been, I mean.’

Theo stayed silent at the words, nodding in understanding. ‘Well, that’s true,’ he admitted softly, not making an effort to deny Liam’s words. Liam stayed silent, holding his breath as he knew that Theo wasn’t done yet. ‘I think it’s normal that life gets in the way a little more often from now on. That doesn’t mean we should let it drift us apart. We have more friends now. We’re at school together every day.’

Liam’s heart warmed at the words, he hoped so, before he looked over as his best friend spoke again. ‘Besides,’ he said, a mischievous sparkle in his eye that let Liam know whatever was gonna come, it wasn’t anything. ‘You’re not getting rid of me that easily,’ a smirk on his face.

And there it was. Liam let out a laugh, pushing Theo against his shoulder. ‘Is that supposed to make me feel lucky?’ and Theo grinned in response, the easy atmosphere seeping back into the room, hanging between them.

‘I mean, you asked,’ Theo chuckled, falling back against the bed frame. ‘Video games?’

Liam nodded, already grabbing his controllers and holding them up. ‘Hell yeah.’

*****

Liam thought it was safe to say, that getting ready for a school party was a lot harder than he had thought.

They were all gathered, together, in Hayden’s bedroom, shuffling around to avoid bumping into each other as it was a small space for all of them, and Hayden giggled as she sat in front of the mirror putting on her lipstick, happy to have them all over.

Liam still wasn’t sure exactly how Mason and Theo managed to convince him to go, his stomach still turning with nervousness and his mouth going dry at just the thought of the party and the crowds that would be there, but one day it just happened, and he only had to look at his friends to tell himself he would be fine. As long as he stayed with them, he would be. As long as he never lost any of them out of sight. He knew Theo wouldn’t leave him alone in situations like that.

‘Hey, this was a great idea of you, Alec,’ Nolan grinned across the room, interrupting Liam’s thoughts. ‘And thanks for having us over, Hayden. I guess we’re lucky you live the closest to school out of all of us. I take it you’ve never done something like this before?’

‘Afraid not,’ Hayden laughed, turning around as she was halfway done. ‘School parties were never a part of my previous school.’

‘And probably with good reason,’ Corey chimed in, causing laughter around the group, sounding through the room. Theo took the opportunity to sneak closer to Liam, taking a short moment to themselves as the others were occupied joking around.

‘Are you still okay with doing this?’ he asked quietly, as he reached out to straighten the collar of Liam’s shirt. ‘I mean, I know we kinda forced this on you…’

Liam let out a soft laugh at that, looking up to Theo as he shrugged. ‘Maybe,’ he muttered. ‘I guess I didn’t really have a choice. But it’s fine.’ He looked up, at Theo’s curious eyes. ‘If I’m not alone.’

Theo chuckled, nodding at the comment. ‘Sure, we’ll just have fun,’ he replied, taking a small step back to get a last check on Liam’s shirt. Liam’s grin widened on his face, as he nodded. He hadn’t really expected Theo to say anything else than that.

‘I did not spill my hot chocolate over my shirt at lunch yesterday!’ Nolan’s voice echoed through the room then, interrupting their conversation, laughter sounding through his voice. ‘It was an accident, it only dripped on the floor! Rather ask Mason what he was doing yesterday instead. He was looking pretty glum as well.’

Liam’s gaze wandered over to Mason, the other boy having paused at the mention of his name, and he thought it was pretty hard to miss the exact moment Mason realized all their eyes were on him. He glanced up slowly, his cheeks flushed, as he was startled at the sudden accusation.

A laugh spilled past Hayden’s lips, as she turned around and fumbled with the scrunchy in her hair for a moment longer. ‘Yeah, what was that about? I saw you looking down by your locker yesterday, Mase.’

Mason swallowed and Liam frowned, crossing his arms and watching as the other boy looked so uncomfortable under their gazes, wanting to cross the room and comfort him now that he did. It wasn’t so hard for him to imagine why, as he would feel the same way with so many eyes on him. Mason coughed, fumbling with his hands. ‘I don’t… I, eh, just found something in my locker,’ he muttered, lowering his eyes. ‘I don’t really want to talk about it.’

It stayed silent in the room for a moment at his words, their eyes on him in surprise, and a heavy feeling that something was wrong washed over Liam as he met Hayden’s eyes across the room. What he suspected was true. There was something Mason wasn’t telling them.

‘Okay…’ Hayden spoke up next, breaking the silence, her voice suspicious as she exchanged a look with Corey and Alec. ‘Are you alright?’ she shot Mason a worried look, studying him as she realized that something was up.

‘Fine,’ Mason muttered tensely, turning away from them towards the desk a little too harshly for Liam’s liking, his back towards them. Hayden bit her lip, studying him for a moment longer with consideration whether she should ask further clear on her face, but Liam knew it was a dead end. Mason wasn’t gonna say anything to the whole group if something bothered him. He wouldn’t either, and Liam thought that if he asked him one on one, he would have more luck. Mason was really only doing this the same way he would.

Hayden nodded, smiling, as she took a step closer to Mason. ‘Alright,’ she started. ‘But if you change your mind… You can always say so.’

Mason looked over his shoulder at the words, staying silent and Liam gave him a short nod in agreement with Hayden's words, though the relief as they didn’t ask any further was clear on Mason's face. As he turned back, Liam could feel the easier atmosphere from before settle back in the room, hanging between them, and turned back to Theo with a grin on his face. He was glad they found some time to talk, Theo’s eyes twinkling with an idea that made Liam curious, before they had to leave. ‘What?’ he laughed.

Theo looked up at him with a grin. ‘Do you remember one thing we always did when we were younger?’

The question had Liam frown, not understanding what Theo meant for a moment, before the words sunk in and he looked up with a grin. ‘A sleep-over?’

‘It’s been a while,’ Theo started. ‘And you’re right, school is getting busier. So what do you think? Good idea?’

Admittedly, it had been one of the last things Liam expected him to say, and he only had to gather his thoughts a little bit before responding, a smile forming on his face. ‘Hell yeah.’

Theo nodded, standing up. ‘That sounds like a plan then,’ and Liam chuckled, their friends finishing getting ready to go as they agreed on a time and place for the activity that created so many memories for their younger selves.

It wasn’t long before they were ready, Mason’s eyes having lit up a little more happy again since the subject was dropped. Hayden pulled the door open, grabbing a jacket and shrugging it over her shoulders as they made their way down the stairs. Reaching the front door Hayden called for her parents and Valerie to say goodbye, receiving a quick _have fun_ in response, and Liam smiled, thinking her to be lucky to have parents and a sister so accepting to have them all over and let them go to a school party. It was the reason they agreed to go to her in the first place.

Grinning, Hayden turned around, pulling open the front door revealing the dark sky outside, and the breeze of the cool evening air blew inside the house. ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘Let’s go,’ and they slipped outside onto the street, to make the walk to school.

*****

Liam thought he could say with certainty that the music of the party at school could be heard from a distance, seeing the other students from school already pouring in from the beginning of the street. Now, being here so close to it, he felt as though his nerves had shot up to the max, something in his stomach fluttering in unease.

Next to him, Theo stepped forward, sending him a smile. Liam relaxed his shoulders, smiling back at him.

‘It looks like it’s really something!’ Hayden called out cheerfully in front of them, walking between Corey and Alec.

‘It certainly does,’ Theo commented, grinning, turning to Liam with twinkling eyes, wiggling his eyebrows. Liam chuckled lowering his eyes nervously, his heart pounding in his chest as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. As they got inside, it wasn’t hard to see where the event was being held, as the hallway by the doors was swarming with students, all walking towards the cafeteria where the party was, and after anxiously getting used to the loud music, his shoulders tense, Liam recognized the song blasting from the speakers.

‘This is one of my favorites!’ Hayden called over the volume, already turning towards the cafeteria where the music was coming from, making excited eyes at it. ‘Come on!’ gesturing for Alec to come with her.

They were quick to follow after them, heading into the purple lit cafeteria, and Liam’s heart pounded in his chest as they entered the room where older students were already dancing in the middle of the room. All the lunch tables, that usually stood in the room, had been pushed to the sides to make way for a dance floor, and in the corners of the cafeteria stood the speakers for the music.

Liam tensed as he saw the number of people that were there, most of them older than him, and swallowed at the thought of having to be among them, wiping his suddenly sweaty hands on his jeans nervously.

As they crossed the room to the other side, now more than ever, he was grateful for Nolan being taller than him at least, creating a free path through the crowd for them that they could walk through, without having to get stuck in the middle. Liam made sure to walk fast, hurrying to not lose his friends out of sight and focusing on Theo’s green shirt in front of him, staying close to him. He felt as if his heart was beating out of his chest, but Theo next to him kept his head clear at least a little bit.

‘Anyone up for a dance?’ Hayden asked as they reached the other side, interrupting Liam’s hazy thoughts. ‘The song’s almost over.’

Theo shot Liam a look, his eyes questioning, but Liam shook his head, glancing at the table standing at their side. ‘I think I’m gonna sit this one out,’ he admitted, looking up. ‘Maybe next time.’

'But...' Hayden frowned, looking as if she was about to protest, before the pull of the music became too strong for her and she smiled, nodding. ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘But I’m going. Anyone wanna come?’

It didn’t surprise Liam that Alec agreed to go with her without protest, Mason and Corey following after her and Nolan giving in as well and they disappeared onto the dance floor between the other students, Hayden’s jacket left behind on the chair next to Liam.

Theo smiled faintly, looking over at him as they kept the table to themselves. ‘You really going to dance next song?’

Liam shrugged, leaning back and allowing himself to relax a little now that they found a quieter spot to themselves. ‘I don’t know. Maybe. Think I’ll stay here for now.’ Truthfully, he’d be happy to stay seated here for the night and have a cola instead, and Theo seemed to know that too.

‘Well,’ Theo smiled, looking towards the dance floor. ‘Anything is fine.’ His simple words reassured Liam and he nodded, following Theo’s gaze with a smile. His eye was caught by Hayden, jumping around surrounded by their friends, and Alec jumping around with her, just as wild as her. He snorted, looking towards Theo. ‘Hayden and Alec would make good friends.’

Theo laughed, following his gaze towards them. ‘I bet,’ he smirked, sparing a glance at Alec. ‘I’ve never seen so much energy in one person.’

‘Right,’ Liam chuckled grinning at him, leaning back as the song ended, and his favorite song came on. With Theo bopping his head along with the music next to him, Liam thought that maybe he could try a careful dance later, no matter if the thought still made something anxious flutter in his stomach, but for now he felt good just sitting here, and listening to the music watching their friends having fun with Theo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think, comments make my day! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think! Comments make my day!


End file.
